Hello Nanaimo!
I am honoured (and excited!) to be taking over from Julie Chadwick as the reporter for The Discourse Nanaimo.
I’m hoping to build on the type of community journalism that has made The Discourse Nanaimo a trusted source for news in the city.
When I first moved to Nanaimo in late 2019, I went back to school at Vancouver Island University as a mature student and got involved in the student news show at CHLY 101.7FM. I then worked as the station’s assistant news director and hosted CHLY’s flagship morning show, Midcoast Morning. It was there that I first met Julie, and her enthusiasm for covering local news in the city was infectious.
You can read the interview I did with her about her investigation into the rental crisis. As a life-long renter myself, Julie’s in-depth reporting on the issue resonated with me as rental and housing prices in the city skyrocketed.
I was lucky enough to be able to work full-time as a local news reporter at CHLY for most of the past year and am thrilled to be back on the city beat with The Discourse this fall. One difference between the daily news reporting I did at CHLY and what I hope to do at The Discourse is that I’ll have more time to dig into stories, provide additional context and tell them in more depth.
I’m a big supporter of arts and culture in the community and am also looking forward to continuing The Hub newsletter featuring stories about local artists and bands. If you know of any upcoming events or concerts that should be included please let me know!
If you have any news tips, or think there is an issue that deserves a closer look, please don’t hesitate to email me at mick@thediscourse.ca, or stop and say hello if you see me out in the community.
The Discourse’s Island editor, Shalu Mehta, asked me some questions to get to know me better. Find that interview below.
How would you describe your relationship to Nanaimo?
As someone who moved to Nanaimo just months before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I started with a somewhat estranged relationship with the city as so many things that make Nanaimo a great and vibrant city to live in were shut down. I channeled my pandemic experience into volunteer work doing data journalism for CHLY 101.7FM, where I closely tracked the daily and weekly Covid numbers for the Island Health region, breaking down trends for the Central Vancouver Island region for two years. To be perfectly honest, I am glad to not be updating those charts any longer.
As live music and community events returned I found a vibrant community of local artists, musicians and journalists who have a passion for making this city an amazing place to live.
What made you want to work at The Discourse?
Honestly, it was Julie. Her reporting was something that helped me orient and connect to what was happening in the city when I first arrived. She was also always super-friendly and supportive when we were both covering local news in the city. She always spoke highly of the team at The Discourse and said it was a great place to work. I was also motivated to return to covering local news. I love getting out and talking with people in the community about issues that directly affect them, and providing context and unique perspectives that help engage and inform the discourse in our city.
Where did you get your start in journalism?
I first cut my teeth in publishing as a punk rocker putting out a short-lived fanzine in Calgary. I’ll be honest, it was not what I would consider journalism, but it opened doors to writing and editing a monthly two-page spread about the vibrant local all-ages music scene in CJSW’s Vox newspaper. It was a lot of fun and started me on my career in independent journalism.
Why are you a journalist? What do you intend to do with your work as a community reporter in Nanaimo?
I love being a community reporter because I truly love talking with people about what’s happening in Nanaimo and helping amplify the voices of people who are grappling with both the problems in our city as well as the ways people are working to make it a great place to live.
What issues/solutions/topics in Nanaimo are you keen to report on?
It really depends on what our readers want to know more about. One thing I love about the approach The Discourse takes is its commitment to listen to our readers and engage with the community about the stories that you think are underreported. In general, I think the housing and homelessness crisis is something that is an ongoing issue in our city that needs to be reported on beyond government announcements. I hope to continue to tell the stories of tenants struggling to make ends meet as well as people who are experiencing homelessness in our city.
What inspires you?
I’m inspired by people I meet every day. I think so-called “ordinary people” are doing extraordinary things that make our city a better place to live. I am always blown away when they trust me to help them tell their stories, both the good and the bad.
Help us get to know you as a person! What are your interests? Hobbies? Any fun facts about yourself?
One hobby I picked up during the pandemic was photography. We are blessed to live in a place with amazing access to nature and I love to do wildlife photography, particularly of whales and orca! I’m an active participant in some local land-based whale-watching groups such as Nanoose Whale Watch and Gabriola Island Whale Sightings.
I’ve also been working to document the independent music scene in the city through concert photography, so if you see a Gen-X guy with a camera taking photos of a gig at The Vault Cafe, The Globe Live Studio or Crace Mountain there is a good chance that it’s me.
